Police nabbed a suspected burglar and found a stolen motorbike in a continued bid to crack down on crime in a notorious area of Canvey.

Castle Point Neighbourhood Policing Team has launched Operation Shieldon, which targets local offenders and areas subject to crime such as cannabis farming.

Officers were recently on Charfleets Industrial Estate, and within 40 minutes arrested a wanted burglar.

PC Mark McQuade, of Castle Point Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Charfleets has of course been subject to a varying amount of crime, which local business asked us to try and reduce.

“The op was supported by new signage financed through a Police and Crime Commission bid.

“Within 40 minutes of operating the stop check area, we arrested a wanted male for a house burglary in Benfleet. We hope to run this op most weeks within the district.

“Once the op finished we attended a couple of local authority owned sites and recovered a poorly hidden stolen motorbike.”

The bike, pictured above, was hidden in the bin area of Wrackall Court, Gafzelle drive.

The bike is a black and red scrambler and is believed to have been stolen from Thorney bay Caravan Park.

Police are trying to trace the owners.

PC McQuade added: “With the ongoing issues around motorbikes linked to antisocial behaviour on Canvey, the community policing team are always on the hunt and look out for offenders and locations to find bikes and their riders with a view to disrupt their efforts to spoil the area for other road users and walkers alike.”

There have been a number of drug raids on Canvey. A huge 100-plant factory was found at Charfleets in February. Two more factories were found within 48 hours of each other on the industrial estate in April. Ten plants, worth £4,000 were found in Romainville Way. Two days later, officers found a 400-plant factory at a unit in Charfleets Road, with an estimated worth of £50,000.